Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel Cake
A moist dark chocolate layer cake with a luscious salted caramel cream cheese frosting. Chocolate cake recipe is Ina Garten's, and the frosting is adapted from Benjamina Ebuehi's amazing cookbook, The New Way To Cake.
Servings: 12 slices
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cake
- 1 3/4 c flour
- 2 c granulated sugar
- 3/4 c cocoa powder, preferably dutch process cocoa
- 2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 c buttermilk
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 c hot coffee
Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- 1 c butter, softened
- 1 1/2 c powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 c cream cheese, softened
- 1 c caramel sauce, jarred or homemade and cooled completely
- 1/4-1/2 tsp salt, optional*
- extra caramel sauce for decoration, if desired
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line the bottoms of two 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper, then butter and flour them.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachments, sift together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Mix until combined. In a separate bowl, combine buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry, mixing on low speed.
- Add the coffee and stir to combine, stopping to scrape the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Once all is well-combined, divide batter evenly into your prepared cake pans.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out mostly clean, with just a few moist crumbs. Cool for 30 minutes in the pan, then remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Note: this cake is very moist & tender – be careful when removing from pans. For best results, place a plate on top of the pan, then flip over so the cake comes out onto the plate. Then carefully transfer cake to wire rack.
- Allow to come to room temperature before frosting.If you aren't frosting the cake right away, wrap layers tightly in plastic and refrigerate for 1-2 days or freeze for up to a month.
Salted Caramel Cream Cheese Frosting
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter and powdered sugar at medium speed until smooth and light.
- Add the cream cheese and continue beating at medium speed until well combined, stopping to scrape the bottom of the bowl once or twice.
- Add the caramel sauce, beating until combined. Scrape the bowl, then beat again at medium speed until light and fluffy.
- To frost the cake, spread about a third of the frosting onto the first layer, smoothing until evenly spread. If desired, swirl more caramel sauce into the frosting before adding the second cake layer.Use remaining frosting to frost the top and sides of the cake as desired. Use additional caramel sauce to decorate the top of the cake.
- Slice, serve, and enjoy!Cover and chill any leftover cake for up to 3 days.
Notes
* If the caramel you use isn't already salted, add salt (1/4 tsp for mild salty flavor, 1/2 tsp for more intense salty flavor).